Work conveyer and inverter



Dec. 2, 1941. K. c. BUTTERFIELD WORK CONVEYER AND INVERTER Filed Oct. 2, 1940 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 2, 1941. K. c. BUTTERFIELD 2,264,326

WORKCONVEYER AND INVERTER Filed Oct, 2, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q m i g: i 5 .mmmwmm. .l. mm Q KY2 1 0 1:: L :1; n 1 m m w mU u m m e: ZF EE m y \s w Aw mm M 4% 1941- K. c. BUTTERFIELD 2,264,826

WORK CONVEYER AND INVERTER Filed Oct. 2, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 l I I INVENTOR. bzmvzm C. Barri/W164 a.

Patented Dec. 2, 194 1 WORK CONVEYER AND INVERTER Kenneth Carlyle Bntterfield, Grand Rapids,

Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application October 2, 1940, Serial No. 359,403

3 Claims.

This invention relates to material handling apparatus. In modern mass production, it is desirable to handle materials to and from the -metal stamping presses with as much expedition and economy as is possible.

The present apparatus is an apparatus which is arranged to be rolled up at the side of a press for the purpose of receiving stampings from the press and for conveying the work away from the press and inverting the same and lifting the work to a position where it may be handled by men or may be taken up by some other conveying apparatus.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, some of the parts being in section.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a view of the press and some of the adjacent parts of the apparatus showing how the press trips some of the control valves.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the apparatus, similar to Fig. 2, but showing more of the press and showing the work ejector.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus showing the work lifting arm raised.

The apparatusis carried on a frame I which, in turn, is mounted upon small wheels or casters 2. This permits the apparatus to be wheeled around from place to place where it may be desirable to use it. On one end of the'carriage-.- the end which is to be next to the press-there is an inclined way with rollers 3 to facilitate the work sliding down into a pit 4.

The work is released from the dies by means of a suitable knock-out 5 in the center of the female die. Any other form of ejector, such.as knock-out pins, may be used. When the work is released, the upper die or ram 6 of the press, by means of a cam l on the side of the ram, trips a lever 8 which operates a Boss valve 9 to send the fluid through line Ill to cylinder II to operate piston l2 and thereby push the thrust rod l3 to the left, causing the work to be pushed out between the dies, as shown in the dotted lines of Fig. 3. It is pushed onto the rollers 3 and drops down into the pit 4, as shown by the dotted lines of Fig. 1.

The weight of the work swings the lever H from the position shown in the dotted lines to the position shown in the full lines (Fig. 1). This operates the fluid valve l5 and causes air to pass through line 16 to the right hand end of cylinder I]. This forces piston l8 to the left and this, in turn, thrusts the push rod I9 to the side of the pit, 'as shown at W in Fig. 1. The ram in rising from the position shown in the full lines in Fig. 3 to the position of the cam 20 (shown in the dotted lines of Fig. 3) trips the trip 2| which operates the Ross valve 22 to send air through line 23 to the left of the cylinder 24 which causes piston 25 (Fig. 5) to travel to the right in cylinder 24. Piston rod 26 operates bell crank lever 21 which forms a lifting arm 28. This lifts the work out of the pit, as clearly shown in the dotted and full line showings of Fig. 5. The work is now inverted and upon the table 29 where it may be handled by workmen, or it may be picked up by some other conveying apparatus.

I claim:

1. In a work conveyerand inverter, the combination of a frame having a slideway with a pit having an inclined wall at the side of the pit remote from the end of the slideway, means the operation of which is initiated by the work for pushing a flat piece of work from the side of the pit at the end of the slideway to the other inclined side of the pit and means for lifting the work out of the pit and sliding the same up along the inclined wall of the pit to thereby invert the same, comprising a swinging lever and means for controlling said swinging lever com-- prising a valve arranged to be tripped at the proper time by a moving member on the machine from which the work is taken.

2. In a -work conveyer and inverter, the combination of a frame having a slideway with a pit having an inclined wall at the side of the pit remote from the end of the slideway, means for pushing a flat piece of work from the side of the pit at the end of the slideway to the other inclined side of the pit and means for lifting the work out of the pit and sliding the same up along the inclined wall of the pit to thereby invert the same, comprising a swinging lever, the said pit provided with a trip lever, a fluid line,a valve for controlling the fluid line, a fluid cylinder and piston connected to said fluid line provided with a piston rod which affords the means for pushing the work from one side of the pit to the other, the said trip lever being tripped by the left, pushing the work over to the left hand out of the pit and sliding the same up along the inclined wall of the pit to thereby invert the same, comprising a swinging lever, a. fluid line. means for controlling said 118 8 iever includingavelveineaidiiuidlinearrangedtobe tripped at the proper time by a moving memher on the machine from which the work is conveyed, the said pit provided with a trip lever and another valve for controlling the fluid line, a fluid cylinder and piston connected to acid fluid line provided with e piston rod which oiiords the means for pushing the work from one side of the pit to the otherfithe laid trip lever being tripped by the work as it falls into the pit.

KENNE'I'H CARLYIE BUI'I'ERFIELD. 

